Negative emotions reduce sensorimotor cortex activity during proprioceptive modulation of rolandic ∼20HZ beta rhythm in typically developing children and those with neurodevelopmental conditions

The Rolandic ∼20-Hz beta rhythm of the sensorimotor cortex is associated with motor function and perception. However, the modulation of this rhythm by different emotional stimuli is an innovative area of research. This study aims at investigating the impact of affective pictures (positive, negative, and neutral) on the proprioceptive modulation of the Rolandic ∼20 Hz beta rhythm in typically developing children and children with neurodevelopmental disorders (i.e. cerebral palsy and autism). EEG was recorded while participants experienced passive wrist movements during the simultaneous viewing of affective pictures. Time-frequency analysis of the sensorimotor oscillatory activity was performed. Our findings revealed that pictures with negative emotional valence notably diminish event-related synchronization (ERS) amplitude during the perception of hand movement in all groups of children. These findings suggest that emotional stimuli, particularly the negative ones, could significantly influence brain's processing of proprioception, adding knowledge to the interaction of common comorbidities, such as sensorimotor disorders and emotional dysregulation, in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. •The Rolandic ∼20-Hz beta rhythm reflects motor function and movement perception.•The modulation of this rhythm by emotion perception in children is unknown.•Emotion affects the brain's processing of proprioception in children.•Negative emotions equally impact children with different neurodevelopmental conditions.